Automatic adjuster



May 31, 1960 E. K. DOMBECK EVAL 2,938,610

AUTOMATIC ADJusTER Filed Aug. 8, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet l 22 INVENTORS` @mmap Ka/wck. E19. Mum. MJNKLE.

@51.05 THQMAS .BY ATTORNEY.

May 31, 1960 E. K. DOMBECK ETAL 2,938,610

AUTOMATIC ADJUSTER 3 Sheets-Shee 2 Filed Aug. 8, 1956 K Y.. n .A mBEM f e NM m /T www? A .f KH@ @Lsw May 31, 1960 E. K. DOMBECK ET AL 2,938,610

AUTOMATIC ADJUSTEIR 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 8, 1956 INVENTORS EDWARD K. DOMBECK MURL HINKLE DELQS B. THoMAs BY IAM aM ATTORNEY.

2,938,616 Patented May 31, 1960 AUTOMATIC ADJUSTER Edward K. Dombeck, Mui-l Hinkle, and Delos B. Thomas,

South Bend, Ind., assignors to Bendix Aviation Corporation, South Bend, Ind., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 8, 1956, Ser. No. 602,866

9 Claims. (Cl. 18S-79.5)

This invention relates to an automatic adjuster for arcuate brake shoes and in the embodiments selected for explanation of the invention, the brake shoes are of the servo type in which one brake shoe is used to apply the other. It will be apparent, however, that the invention is not restricted to this particular arrangement of the brake shoes.

lt is an object of the invention to provide automatic adjustment for the brake shoes, responsively to wear thereof, at a very nominal cost.

There have been numerous proposed automatic adjusters for vehicle brakes which have proved unsatisv factory either because of inherent operational deficiencies or because of prohibitive cost. Among the operational deficiencies which we have found objectionable is that a part of the braking stress is imposed on the adjuster mechanism, thus making the adjuster prone to failure. In other instances, the adjuster has involved the use of feeler gauges and this has caused scoring of the brake drum.

We propose an automatic adjuster which is reduced in the number of component parts to approach an ultimate in structural simplicity. It is further provided that the automatic adjuster will operate only during reverse braking so that an adjustment which is rendered takes place when the brake is not overheated and thus the adjustment is accurate in amount. Y

The structural simplicity of the automatic adjuster creates an economy in manufacture. Another important item of cost is the price of installation and maintenance. lt forms an important part of the invention that the adjuster can be installed with minimum diiiiculty and easily lends itself to various size brakes. Cumulative brake manufacturing tolerances do not affect installation of the adjuster; thus, there are no rened construction details which must be accounted for in equipping the brake with our invention.

It is another important feature of the invention that the brakes can be manually as well as automatically adjusted so that when the brake shoes are to be discarded, the adjuster can be manually reset to accommodate the replacement shoes.

It will be noted from the description of the invention that the parts of the adjuster are made mostly from stampings and this enables an inherent cost advantage in making the adjuster. Also, only a relatively few number of parts are involved in the adjuster and the parts are so located that the adjuster can be installed on a brake which is not especially made or originally adapted for the invention.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

. Figure 1 is an isometric view of a tractor brake (with a portion of the one shoe broken away) shown with the automatic adjuster with a portion broken away;

Figure 2 is a vsection view taken on line 2 2 ofrFigj-- ure l;

Figure 3 is a plan view of a brake having a second embodiment of the automatic adjuster invention;

Figures 4 and 5 are section views taken on lines 4 4 and 5 5, respectively, of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is an isometric detail view of the adjuste lever shown in Figure 3;

Figure 7 is a plan vieW of a brake incorporating av further embodiment of the invention; and l Figure 8 is a section view taken on line 8 8 of Figure 7.

Referring first to the embodiment shown in Figures 1f through 4, the primary brake `shoe 12 and secondary brake shoe 14 are mechanically applied in any suitable manner by means of a cam or the like (not shown) which acts against expansible ends 16 and 18 of the brake shoes. Each of the brake shoes is identically constructed and consists of a web 20, rim 22, and friction lining 24. The shoes are held against a backing plate 26 by means of hold down lingers 28 (only one of which is shown).

Both shoes anchor together as a unit at one or the other of the eXpansible ends 16 or 18 depending upon the direction of drum rotation. For example, when the drum is rotating in a counterclockwise direction, the two shoes 12 and 14 anchor on anchor 30 which is provided at the end of shoe 14. In this direction of braking, the brake shoe 12 is referred to as the primary shoe and shoe 14 acts as the secondary shoe.

Between the articulated ends 32 of brake shoes 12' and 14 is an adjustable strut designated generally by reference numeral 34. The adjustable strut comprises a tubular internally threaded nut 36 and a socket 38 which receive threaded stem 42 and nonthreaded stem 44, respectively. The ends 46 of nut 36 and socket 38 are slotted to receive ends 32 of the brake shoes, thus preventing rotation of nut 36 and socket 38. A star wheel 48 is formed integrally with stems 42 and 44, and the irregularly shaped periphery 50 of the star wheel provides a ratchet surface for turning the Wheel 48.

A lever 51, functioning as a pawl, has a pinned connection 52 with the end 32 of secondary brake shoe 14. It will be noted that the lever is doubled over to extend on each side of the web 20 of the secondary shoe 14. The lever 51 has a detent or tooth 53 which engages the periphery 5G of star wheel 48. A coil spring S4 (Figure 1) is fastened at one end 56 to the primary shoe 12 and at the other end 58 to the lever 51. The free end of the lever 51 is biased by the spring 54 in a downward direction to rotate the star wheel in the direction of the arrow in Figure 1. The coil spring 54 serves a number of functions; it is so positioned that the spring load which is de-.

spring 54 further develops a radial component force' serving to swing the lever 51 downwardly to thereby turn' the serrated wheel 48, and the coil spring 54 develops a lateral force on the lever 51 so that the tooth 53 remains in engagement with the serrated periphery 50 of the star wheel while the lever turns on pivot 52.

The lever S1 can be caused to turn on'pivot 52 by rods 68 and 62 which are connected to a bell crank lever 64. Rod 60 has a hook 66 which is passed through a slot 68 in lever 51 for connection therewith, and is connected at the other end thereof to bell crank 64. A turnbuckle 70 is used to vary the length of rod 60 to compensate for brake manufacturing tolerances. The rod 62 is hooked at end 72 to a stationary part of the brake adjacent anchor 30 and is secured at the other end to the bell crank lever' 64. The bell crank is pinned or otherwise suitably secured at 7 4y to the web 2Q ofA the secondary brake shoe 14. The bell crank is free to turn on pinned connection 74.

A return spring 76 is used to hold the expansible end of the secondary brake shoe in a normally retracted position which is denedby its engagement with anche 3,0- t Y Y,

An adjustment of the brake takes place when the vehicle is moving inmreversev direction, l-tliisbe'ing accompanied by clockwise rotation of the drum. Assuming thatv the lining 24 has worn suiciently to require an ad justment, andthe vehicle is moving reversely, anA application of the brakes will be accompanied byan adjustment which takes place infthe following manner:

The normally primary shoe f127b'ecotr1es theanchored shoe and the secondary shoe 14 isy moved away 'from anche? 30- Crgumferental mst/ement of. the secondary' shoe` away from thek anchor 30fdis`pl' es lthe, piy'ot` 7.4 of bell Qrank, lever 64 -'H1S; displaiileui 0f. thek Pit/@7.4

ifa circumferential directionrcause'sf a turning of the bell'` crank-64 by rod 62 in a counterclockwise*direction.Y Rodv 60 is thus pulled by the bellcrank lever and lever 51 is caused` to turn in a clockwise direction about pivot 52Y against the resistance ofespringpSfl. Whenthe lever 51. is ths moved, the detent or'tooth SSmOVesupWardly and engages a successive indentation on the periphery 50 ofl thefstar wheel 48. When the brake is released, the respring 76 retracts secondary brake shoe 14, causing it to rel-engage anchor 30 and thereby relieve the turning force exerted' Yon lever*r 51 by rods 60`and 62. The spring 54 thereupon rotates the lever 51 in a counterclockwise direction about pivot 52 bringing the detent 53, downwardly toy rotate the serrated wheel 48 in the direction indicated by the arrow in FigureV 1. Rotation of the star wheel 4Sl in the direction indicated by the arrow forces the sleeves 36 and 28 apart and spreads the articulated ends 3:2 of the shoes. From .the location ofthe spring 54 it will be apparent that the ends 32 of the shoes are held in tight engagement with the strut 34 throughout the adjusting cycle. The spring 54 is also positioned so `that thetooth 53 is biased laterally against the periphery of` the serrated wheel 50,while the detent 53 isbeing` moved relatively to the periphery 50 and this biasing force'furthe'r insures that movementof the detent downwardly (Figure l) willrin each instance produce rotation of the serrated wheel y48. Adjustment whichitakes place in lthe mannervdescrihed is by definite lfmllslld thslais. 110 PQSSibitylOf veradiustment ofthe shoes because of excessive heating of the brake singe va'ljusttnent 'takes placek only duringr'everse vehiclel nivlment-- Y lheadjusteroperationland construction has been ex; plained with reference to` the left rear vehiclewheel brake. F01"`- ItheV-.rigltt rear wheel, reverse rotation produces countercloekwiserrotation of the drum. TheV adjuster lever isfpivoted on the lower end ofthe left hand shoe andV the adjuster strut is turned 180. The same adjuster lever can be used for both right rear and left rear brakes. On the right rear wheel, the adjuster tooth 53 engages the side ofthe star Wheel toward the Viewer. The only change in adjuster mechanism is that the threads of the adjuster nut 36 and stem 42 are made left hand instead of .right hand.

Referring next to theembodiment shown in Figures 3 thossh 6, parts Ofhaadiuster; Corresponding to those previously,describedvwill bereferred to by thevsame refergencel numeral withw a f lsubscript aff Extendable ,l strut 34g v,is,st ecu`red ybetweenjthe,articulatedends 32al of primary shoel12a `and secondary shoe 14a. aztab-78 V(Figures 3, 6) which is received through an opening-801 in the secondary shoe toprovide a pivotfor leverfSla. ToothA 53a of theflever engages the serrated periphery 15011 of `star wheel 48a. Rotation of thestar wheelfproduces vextension of `the strut 34a as in thefpreviousjembodiment. i

Lever `51a has;

Coil spring 54a is stretched between end 32a of the primary shoe 12a and al turned up portion 82 of the lever which receives hooked end 58a of coil spring 54a. The spring 54a tends to turn the lever 51a in a counterclockwise direction to displace the ydetent 53a downwardly and thereby rotate the serrated wheel 48a to adjustably spread the articulated ends 32a .of the shoes. The coil spring 54a is further arranged so that it will exert a lateral force on the toothv 53aY bringing it forcibly against the periphery of the serrated wheel. A further function of the coil spring 54a is to hold the articulated ends 32a of the shoesagainst strut 3441.

A'exible cable 86 is secured at one end to lever 51a and has a grrnmet 8 8 attheiother endwhich ts over anchor 90. Intermediatethe ends of the flexible cable it is passed over a channel shaped groove 91 of a stamping 92 which is securely held against the web 26a of the secondary brake shoe 14a.

An adjustment takes place-when thevehicle is,mov ing reversely with the drum rotatinglinlauclockwiseedirection. Assumingrthat thel liningZfla has worn suiciently to, require an adjustment, the secondary brakeshoe-tlnv will moveY from the anchor toV produce a tensioning of cable 8,76. When the groove 9,1 slides circumferentially in a counterclockwise direction, the end of the cable attached to theplever Slaris pulled upwardlyjand lever 51a is thereby rotated clockwise aboutopeningA 80. The de tent 53a is moved upwardly and into engagement with a successive indentation of the star wheel 48a; thus, when thebrake is releasedand the secondary shoe,14a returns to its anchored position, thercable' 86isrelaxed and springrv54a turns the lever` 51ain a counterclock; wise, direction to move detent .53a downvvzrirdly and rotate star wheelv48a. This rotation of the starwheel 48a in the manner described, extends the: strut 34rtorntove the brake shoes closer to the drum and reduce clearance between the lining 247:71, and engageable drurnsurface. Because the adjustment takes place by denite increments, it is not possibleto overadjust thejbrakes, and ybecause the adjustment takesvplace with thevehicle movingzin a reverse direction, it is not possible to-elect an erroneous adjustment during an overheated con-ditionl of thebrake.

Referring next,` to the Vembodiment shown in Figures 7 and 8, parts corresponding to those in the previousernbodiments will receive the samereferencenumeralwith the subscript b. l

Rod 62b is hooked at oneenditotreturn spring-761) and at, the other end to bell crank 64b. The rod 60h is hooked to bell 'crank` 64bat one end and at,A theother.

The eccentric attachment 74b,is,turned .so .that rodsk 60b and 62b areA heldjaut. This .operation yprovides .con1.

pensation for cumulative kmanlifacturing tolerances;

simplifying installation of Vthe "adjusteni I'hejad'juster maybe thus readily installed on productionrbrakes where distances from anchoredjto articulatedends ofthe shoes will vary according tor theaforementioned'manufacturing tolerances.

The adjuster lever 51b has a turned overtab 78h which is received in opening b of `the web 20h and pivots thereon. Thetooth 53bY of lever 51'b engages the serrated periphery 5011r of star wheel 48h` which', is a part of ad'- juster 34b. Spring 54b holds'the articulatedendsof the shoes 12b and 14b againstthe adjuster, biases thetooth 53bvin a direction tending to rotate-'the star -wheel 48b; and holds thetooth SbA tightly against thestart wheel p eriphery 50b. The adjuster functions substantiallyidentiu cally to the previous embodiments.

Although only kthree selected embodimentsfofftheinvention have been chosen to illustrate-therinvention, it

will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the prin.y

essere will be included within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

l. In a brake having a primary and secondary brake shoe, an extendible force-transmitting member interconnecting adjacent ends of said shoes, a rotatable star wheel which controls extension and contraction of said forcetransrnitting member, a lever member pivotally supported on the secondary shoe adjacent said force-transmitting member, a tooth portion of said lever engageable with the notched periphery of said star wheel, a coil spring which is fastened at one end to the primary shoe and at the other end to said lever thereby causing the lever to turn and thus rotate said star wheel, a bell crank pivotally mounted on said secondary shoe intermediate the ends thereof, a iirst rod fastened between the free end of said lever and said bell crank, and a second rod fastened between said rod and a stationary part of the brake at the anchoring end of said secondary shoe whereby movement of said secondary shoe away from an anchoring position produces rotation of said bell crank and displacement of the toothed portion of said lever to engagea successive notched portion of said star wheel, said spring serving to return the lever to its original position when the secondary shoe is retracted to thereby adjustably spread the articulated ends of said primary and secondary brake shoes.

2. In a brake, a pair of brake shoes, and an extendible strut connecting adjacent ends of said shoes, a rotatable wheel member which controls the extension of said strut, said wheel member having an irregularly shaped periphery, a lever pivoted at one end to one of saidshoes, a detent formed on the free end of said lever to engage the periphery of said wheel member and produce rotation thereof, spring means secured between the lever and the other of said shoes to hold the ends of said shoes against said strut, said spring means further serving to pivot said lever and thereby turn said rotatable wheel member, means translating radially outward movement of said one shoe into displacement of said lever so that the detent of said lever engages a successive portion of the periphery of said wheel member, said spring means urging the lever to its original position to thereby adjustably rotate said rotary member when the brake is released and said one shoe is retracted.

3. In a brake having a primary shoe and a secondary shoe, an automatic adjuster for maintaining a predetermined brake clearance in accordance with the wear rate of said shoes, and comprising an extendible strut, a rotary serrated wheel connected with said strut to control extension of the strut determining the clearance between two of the adjacent ends of said brake shoes, a lever turnably supported on one of said shoes, a spring fastened between said lever and the other of said shoes to hold the shoe ends against said strut, said spring further serving to turn said lever and thus rotate said serrated wheel, and a flexible cable secured at one end and fastened to said lever at the other end, said cable having operative connection intermediate the ends thereof with one of said shoes whereby movement of said one shoe from a retracted position serves to tension the cable and displace said lever against the resistance of said spring, return of said one shoe to its retracted position permitting relaxing of said cable to enable said spring to return the lever which thereby operatively rotates the serrated wheel and adjustably extends the strut.

4. In a brake having primary and secondary brake shoes associated with a Ifixed anchor, an extendible strut interconnecting the adjacent ends of said shoes, a rotary member having an irregular shaped outer periphery operatively connected to said strut, said rotary member being tumable to control the length of said strut, a pawl 6 turnably mounted on the articulated end ct' said secondary brake shoe and engageable with the outer periphery of said rotary member, va spring fastened between said pawl and the articulated end of said primary shoe to maintain the ends of said shoes in contact with said t strut, a exible cable fastened at one end to said pawl and held Vstationary at the other end, and a guide member operatively connected intermediate the ends of said cable, said guide member also having operative connection with said secondary shoe so that movement of said secondary shoe from its anchored position exerts tension in said cable, the pawl being thereafter turned by said spring when the cable is relaxed during brake release.

5. In a brake having two arcuate brake shoes each operatively connected to a xed anchor at one end, an automatic adjuster for said shoes comprising an extendible member interconnecting the unanchored ends of said brake shoes, a rotary wheel having an irregularly shaped outer periphery operatively associated with said extendible member to control extension of said member, a pawl turnably mounted on one of said shoes and engageable with the irregularly shaped periphery of said wheel spring means fastened between said pawl and the other of said shoes to hold the shoe ends against said strut, said spring member also exerting force components to move said pawl laterally and to turn said pawl thus rotating said rotary wheel, a exible cable connected at one end of said pawl and connected at its other end to said fixed anchor, and a guide member for said cable operatively connected to one of said shoes intermediate the ends thereof in such a way that movement of said one shoe from an anchored position exerts tension on the cable and turns said pawl against the resistance of said spring member, the return of said one shoe to its initial anchored position relieving the tension in said cable, thereby permitting said spring to return said pawl to its initial position and rotate the rotary Wheel to adjust the brake.

6. An automatic adjuster in combination with a pair of brake shoes which are interconnected at one pair of adjacent ends through an elongatable strut having a rotary member with an irregularly shaped periphery, comprising an adjuster member, means for mounting said adjuster member for pivotal actuation and for movement with said brake shoes, a tooth at one end of said adjuster member contacting said rotary member and engageable with its irregular periphery to eiect a driving connection therebetween, a spring operatively connected between said brake shoes to draw the two shoes together against said adjustable strut, means forming a connection between said adjuster member and spring and spaced from said rst mounting means to provide a lever arm for the spring force eiecting turning of the adjuster member on its pivot mounting and thereby rotating said rotary member through its driving connection with said tooth, and operating means secured to said adjuster member and to at least one of said shoes for operating the adjuster member responsively to radial shoe movement.

7. In a brake having articulated brake shoes, an extendible strut interconnecting said brake shoes, a rotary member having an irregularly shaped periphery, said rotary member being turnable to control the length of said strut, a lever, means for pivotally mounting said lever which is operatively carried by one of said brake shoes, a spring fastened between the other of said brake shoes and said lever and acting through its mounting means drawing the articulated ends of said shoes together and against said strut, a tooth portion of said lever engageable with the irregularly shaped periphery of said rotary member to form a driving connection therebetween, said spring being fastened to the lever to provide a spring force which is exerted along a line having a moment arm about said pivotal mounting means and of sufficient strength to effect a turning force thereon and extension of said strut, the line of said spring force also being laterstessero.`

ally offset to bias sa id tooth against the rotary member and thereby maintaining said driving connection during rotation of saidv rotary member,` and actuating means fastened' to a'portion of said lever and to at least one of said brake shoes to exert actuating turning force on said lever about' said mounting means against the' resistance of said' spring when the shoes are' expanded, theV tooth portion of said lever being' thereby moved'rinto engagement Vwith asuccessive irregulatio'n of' said rotary member, saidY spring being thereafter' operative to' return said lever to its original position and rotating said' rotary member as the brake is released and' the brakeshoes are retracted.

8. In a brakehaving articulated primary'and's'econdary brake shoes, an automatic adjuster' comprising a. lever, means for'mounting said lever' for pivotal movement on' said secondary shoe, a spring stretched betweenVv and connected respectivelywith said primary shoe andthefree' end of'saidV lever to act through said mountingmeans' in' drawing the articulated shoe ends together, an'extendible strut provided with a rotary star Wheel and interposed between and separating said: shoe ends, said springY exert'- ing its spring force on said lever along a line offsetV fromthe means for VmountingV the leverr to provide amoment arm through which said spring force isV eiectivefor turning said lever and operating the rotaryY star wheel whichextends said strut, said connections at'ethe opposite ends-of saidspring with the-primary shoe'and lever respectively. being laterally oflset to-provide-an offset com-y ponentlof spring force for'biasing aportion' of said lever againstthe-star'wheel and maintaining a-drivingconnec-' -tion between said portion and star wheel, and operating means connected-between said lever and at` least oneof said shoes and a relatively xed portion of said brake to pivot the lever arm-on its mounting means against the resistance of said spring as the brake shoes'areexpanded;V

9. In a brake having two juxtaposed brake shoes, an`

automatic adjusterleomprising entendible" meansv received between adjacent ends of said. shoes to' the displace'-v ment between Vthe shoe' ends land thereby' obtainv radial" shoe adjustment, an` operating member having' an ilregj`- ularly shaped portion andv operative to' control lthe er#Y drivingA engagement` between the tooth and irregularly:

shaped portion' ofsaidv operating member, and means' op'' erativelyiconnected'tosaid lever, to a xed portion of the brake'and toat' least one of said shoes to move said tooth into lengagement with av successive portion of said operating member responsively to'radiallactuation of said shoes.

References Cited inthe file'of this' patent UNITED STATE/s PATENTs" 1,954,540: Sanford Apr. 1 0, 1934 2,060,429 Smith* a s a ri v Nov. 10, 1936 FOREIGN' PATENTS- 766,811 France lApr-. 23, 1934 v OTHER REFERENCES Publication: Automotive' Industries, April 25, 1936, pa'geGOS, 

